David Guenther's Zombie Deserter.
A Book Review
So, yeah. The world is in chaos. The Zombie Apocalypse is upon us. That sounds familiar. Only this time, there’s a twist: Some zombies can maintain their intelligence and function in normal society like normal people. They can do the same jobs anyone who has not been infected can, only they need sunglasses due to a sensitivity to light. So, no, David Guenther’s Zombie Deserter: Infected World Book 3 is not your grandpappy’s zombie story.
There are dynamics here that Dawn of the Dead just didn’t include. I like that. I’ve been watching zombie movies since the Eighties and reading ZA novels since World War Z. Okay, so there’s a big gap in there, but go find me a ZA novel published in 1987. I dare you. I’ll wait.
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Oh look, you’re back empty handed. I warned you.
Anyway…
Our hero is Lieutenant Caleb White and he is a zombie. He’s also a member of the United States Air Force. He’s a decent sort and he can do stuff that most people can’t. Like walking into a building full of infected and not getting attacked. Or sensing the infected around him that he can’t see yet and protecting his companions using his sixth sense. There’s probably some other stuff too, but I’m notoriously poor at taking notes.
Lieutenant White has a tendency to attract problems. I mean, I’m not saying he does it on purpose, but weird stuff does have a tendency to happen when he’s around. Gunshots, explosions, turmoil, screaming, dying, you know what I mean. But it’s all good. He’s got the arsenal required to fight back. White seems to be one of those guys that, as happy as you are that he’s on your side, you’re even happier that he’s not on their side. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not wantonly destructive or anything. He’s just very capable and isn’t in the mood to die today.
The action sequences in Zombie Deserter are well paced and exciting. It’s like being in the fight with the characters as they do what they have to do to save their own lives. But it’s deeper than that, too, because White is smart enough to use good tactics, but intelligent enough to only fight when he needs to. He also knows much better than to fight fair. There’s just something satisfying about seeing a smart young warrior doing his thing. I’d follow this kid, assuming he didn’t get lost. He is a second lieutenant, after all.
Speaking of which, he ends up “deserting” at the beginning of Zombie Deserter because he’s about to be forced out of the military anyway, and his prospects for a long life seem to be going away at the same time. Without trying to give too much away, it’s really more of a political problem than a purely military one, but the military takes orders from politicians. At least his chain of command supports him. I don’t want anyone to give up on this book before reading it because he’s not really a deserter and it’s not like an author like David Guenther, an USAF veteran with over twenty years of service, would glorify him if he did.
Zombie Deserter is a book with a ton of twists and turns along the way. Guenther is a guy who does not believe in letting his audience get bored. Keep watching. Pay attention. Keep your head down. Because there’s at least one huge left turn here that I didn’t see coming and it changed my outlook on a few things. It was fun, but it was really unexpected. You’ll know what I mean when you read it.
Zombie Deserter is also a much more science fictional zombie story than what I’m used to. I enjoyed that about it. But most ZA type stuff is more fantasy or horror based. There might be a little bit about a virus, but for the most part it’s all set in a very real-world type setting with no fictional technology. Think of something like The Walking Dead. The dead are all over the place. There are lots and lots of guns. But other than the Walkers themselves, there’s really nothing in TWD that can’t be find in the modern US. Zombie Deserter is not like that. I definitely came across a couple of things that didn’t fit in with what I saw on the news last night. I enjoyed that aspect of the book as well. It’s like I said earlier: This a work with zombies that doesn’t necessarily read like every other zombie book ever written. This is good. Who doesn’t love a fresh take?
The world of the Infected World Trilogy is one that hasn’t fallen as far as some others. The military, for example, has taken a beating but there are enough of them left to make a workable force out of even if it’s nowhere near what it used to be. The fall was also recent enough that some things are still standing that may not be in other books. Then again, fans of William W. Johnstone’s The Ashes series will have a familiar feeling while watching these books. I know I am and I did.
And now the disclaimer: Zombie Deserter is the last book in a trilogy. It is not meant to be a standalone novel. While it is certainly worth your time, it is not a good place to start this series. There are two whole books worth of lead in to this one. You are far better off starting at the beginning than trying to come in with two thirds of the story already past. Plus the first two books are good on their own. Trust me on this one. Start at the beginning. You’ll thank me.
Zombie Deserter will certainly not be the last book I read by Guenther. I love his work and I’ll be on Amazon soon, looking for more. I know he’s got a military science fiction series I haven’t tried yet. Maybe I’ll try there.
Bottom Line: 4.75 out of 5 Cattle Prods
Zombie Deserter: Infected World Book 3
David Guenther
Self Published, 2019
Zombie Deserter: Infected World Book 3 is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and but literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no addition cost to you.
Zombie Deserter: Infected World Book 3